The United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has acknowledged during a question and answer session that the US had made tactical errors in relation to Iraq.
In a speech delivered at the Ewood Park home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club in front of manager Mark Hughes, Ms Rice also warned that the Bush administration would be judged harshly at home if it released detainees who went on to commit terrorist atrocities.
She insisted however that ultimately America would be judged on whether it had made the right strategic judgments in the region, and indicated that the US was not planning any withdrawal of troops as long as the terrorist threat remained.
Ms Rice also declared that America had no desire to be the world's jailer as she sought to reassure Europeans worried over Washington's war on terror.
The US Secretary of State is on a two-day visit to northwestern England as guest of Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Today she visited the Blackburn constituency of Mr Straw, who recently visited her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
Ms Rice, who faced protests earlier today, said she had 'no problem' with anti-war campaigners.
A planned visit to a mosque in Blackburn, where about 20% of the population is Muslim, was cancelled when local Muslims planned a protest there.
This morning, on a visit to a local school, Ms Rice was brought in by a side door when some parents withdrew their children and anti-war campaigners protested at the school gates.
The Stop the War Coalition is planning a demonstration outside the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool where Ms Rice will be a guest of honour tonight.
